Best-selling author Angie Thomas on how the Black Panther star was a hero and inspiration on screen and off.
Chadwick Boseman played a lot of iconic characters, but Chadwick himself was an icon.
I first saw him on this TV show calledLincoln Heights.
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I remember being in awe of his talent even then, when he was not a starring character.
Every time he came on screen, his presence was felt.
You could tell he was dedicated to the craft of portraying each person.
Actor Chadwick Boseman as Levee in the 2020 Netflix film ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.'.David Lee/NETFLIX
You could tell that he was genuinely invested in these stories and these people.
But I think my favorite thing was you could see bits of him in every character that he played.
When he was filmingGet On Upin Mississippi, he made a name for himself down here.
When I first heard that he was going to beBlack Panther, I almost cried.
I’m a huge Black Panther fan, and I could see [him in the role] immediately.
He was an embodiment of hope through that character.
He was an embodiment of strength through that character.
They can look at Chadwick’s portrayal of T’Challa and can walk away with a new mirror for themselves.
We’re so often limited to stereotypes, and Chadwick instead showed us just how beautiful we truly are.
It felt like every single role he did was with a love for us.
It’s weird to talk about him now in the past tense.
I’m still stunned.
I know of kids personally who mourned him, and held little memorials for Black Panther in their bedrooms.
It shows the impact he had through that one character alone.
And I think I’m hurt more because we’re not going to get any more of that.
The hardest part of his death is we’re not going to get any more Chadwick Boseman films.
We’re not going to get to see him craft these love letters to us on screen.
It’s truly one of the most devastating losses of this year.
I hope he’s remembered for his passion and dedication.
His final film performance, inMa Rainey’s Black Bottom(above),premieres Dec. 18 on Netflix.
Angie Thomas is the 33-year-old author ofThe Hate U Give.
She lives in Jackson, Miss.
